ReadWrite - SMShttp://readwrite.com/tag/SMS
enCopyright 2015 Wearable World Inc.http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssTue, 31 Mar 2015 13:47:03 -0700Twilio Acquires Authy For More Secure Mobile-App Development<!-- tml-version="2" --><div tml-image="ci01c7f73670019512" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-layout="inline"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTI4MzQyOTI2Nzc3NDM2MTcw.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>It just got a little easier for developers to improve the security in their coding projects. Twilio, a developer-friendly set of tools for creating SMS, voice, and voice-over-IP applications, <a href="https://www.twilio.com/blog/2015/02/ahoy-authy-joins-twilio.html">has acquired Authy</a>, a developer tool for implementing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_factor_authentication">two-factor authentication</a>.</p><p>Twilio claims to have more than 500,000 registered developers using its tools, and says that more than a million individual software applications use its platform in some way. As interest in mobile development soars, Twilio’s tool suite has become an SMS, MMS, and VoIP solution for enterprise and novice developers alike. </p><blockquote tml-render-layout="inline"><p><strong>See also: </strong><a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/04/23/raspberry-pi-connected-home-fish-text-message-twilio"><strong>My Fish Just Sent Me A Text Message</strong></a></p></blockquote><p>It’s no surprise that such a mobile-focused company has opted for a highly mobile security solution. Authy’s two-factor authentication works by sending a token—typically a six or eight digit number—to a secondary device (mobile or desktop); the user must input both his or her password and the token to access to an account. Authy aims to make it easy for developers to integrate two-factor authentication into their apps. </p><p>Previously, Twilio users who wanted additional security in their apps needed to build their own two-factor authentication around Twilio’s SMS and voice services. Moving forward, Twilio users can do away with that hassle and choose Authy as a product option.</p><blockquote tml-render-layout="inline"><p><strong>See also: </strong><a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/09/26/friday-fun-twilio-flickr-api-picture-roulette-drinking-game"><strong>Friday Fun: Build A Drinking Game With Twilio MMS And Flickr API</strong></a></p></blockquote><p>This is Twilio’s first company acquisition, and neither <a href="https://www.twilio.com/blog/2015/02/ahoy-authy-joins-twilio.html">CEO Jeff Lawson</a> nor <a href="https://www.authy.com/twilio">Authy CEO Daniel Palacio</a> are revealing the financial details behind it. The entire Authy team, however, is coming on board as Twilio's new authentication team, effective immediately.</p><p><em>Screenshot courtesy of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.authy.com/users">Authy</a></em></p>Developers can integrate two-factor authentication into SMS apps.http://readwrite.com/2015/02/24/twilio-authy-developer-tool-security
http://readwrite.com/2015/02/24/twilio-authy-developer-tool-securityHackTue, 24 Feb 2015 10:09:45 -0800Lauren OrsiniHow Pebble Became The Cheapest Android Smartwatch Around<!-- tml-version="2" --><div tml-image="ci01c765bac001c80a" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-layout="inline"><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTI4MTgyOTY2MDg5MTY1NDQz.jpg" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Pebblers with Android smartphones can now <a href="https://blog.getpebble.com/2015/02/16/ad-23-public/">receive and respond to Android Wear notifications</a>, a big step forward that might&nbsp;actually make the Pebble the least expensive Android Wear smartwatch currently available.</p><p>A new firmware update basically bring to Pebble the same active notifications that Android Wear users enjoy on their fancier—and more expensive—smartwatches. A navigation app's notifications, for instance, will appear as turn-by-turn directions on the watch; a music app's notifications could let you pause, skip a song and adjust the volume.</p><p>While the new addition isn't as easy-to-use as it is on Android Wear devices (users can't swipe to interact with notifications, and instead have to navigate the Pebble's menus via its side buttons), it'll still&nbsp;helps the elder statesman of the smartwatch world stay competitive as the countdown to the Apple Watch continues.</p><h2>Androidizing Your Pebble</h2><div tml-image="ci01c765c0e001c80a" tml-image-caption="Square Cash via Android Wear notifications on the Pebble smartwatch." tml-render-layout="right"><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTI4MTgyOTkyNjY0MzAyODY2.jpg" /><figcaption>Square Cash via Android Wear notifications on the Pebble smartwatch.</figcaption></figure></div><p>Start by updating your Pebble to the latest firmware (version 2.9), then download version 2.3.0 of the Pebble Android app from the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.getpebble.android">Google Play Store</a>. From there, you'll also need to also install the Android Wear app.</p><p>The <a href="http://help.getpebble.com/customer/portal/articles/1819783-android---actionable-notifications">Pebble troubleshooting page</a> explains a few workarounds for making the new Android Wear features work to your liking. Depending on the apps, there still may be a few hiccups along the way.</p><p>There are some unexpected pluses as well. Android Wear notifications on Pebble will allow users to store canned responses that users can send in response to text messages—a feature still missing from Android Wear without the use of <a href="http://wearableworldnews.com/2015/01/14/wearresponses-app-solves-one-android-wears-biggest-problems/">a third-party app</a>. &nbsp;The update also allows users to receive Gmail notifications and send and receive money via Square Cash.</p><h2><strong>Is Pebble's Gain Android Wear's Loss?</strong></h2><p>There are still some unknowns as well. It's not clear that Pebble will handle all Android Wear notifications with equal grace, or if some won't work at all. And we don't know if Pebble has a "whitelist" of Android apps whose notifications will definitely work with the watch. I've reached out to Pebble and will update if I hear back. <strong>(See update below.)</strong></p><p>Meanwhile, Pebble’s embrace of this Android Wear feature may have other implications worth considering. Google’s hardware partners are already&nbsp;<a href="http://readwrite.com/2015/02/17/htc-samsung-lg-stick-with-google-android-wear">hedging their bets on Android Wear</a> by embracing alternative operating systems<a href="http://readwrite.com/2015/02/17/htc-samsung-lg-stick-with-google-android-wear"></a>, either as replacements for Google or as experiments they could turn to should Android Wear falter.</p><p>Pebble’s Android Wear compatibility might, conceivably, strengthen the software platform by greatly expanding its wearable reach. On the other hand, if the integration works well, Pebble might well become a less expensive alternative that could ultimately impact the already limited sales of dedicated Android Wear smartwatches.</p><p><strong>Update:&nbsp;</strong>A spokesperson from Pebble has reached out to ReadWrite to further elaborate on the new Android Wear feature in the latest firmware update.</p><p>"Pebble can perform any action or interact that is possible on an Android wear device in response to an incoming message, except for reply by voice," said Rachel Manson from Pebble's press team. "On top of that, Pebble can respond with things that Android Wear cannot at this time. For example, Pebble lets you reply to any notification with emoji, something that regular Android Wear watches cannot do right now."</p><p>As far as whether there's a list of pre-approved compatible apps, Manson says "there is no 'whitelist.' All notifications will work out of the box."</p><p><em>Photos courtesy of Pebble</em></p>With Android Wear notifications, it's only a few steps from the real thing.http://readwrite.com/2015/02/17/pebble-android-wear-notifications
http://readwrite.com/2015/02/17/pebble-android-wear-notificationsWearTue, 17 Feb 2015 13:31:39 -0800Brian P. RubinTwitter Bets On Phone Numbers As The Ultimate Login<!-- tml-version="2" --><div tml-image="ci01bdab6eb00199de" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTI1NDQ0ODU1OTg2OTc0Njkw.jpg" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Twitter's new suite of developers tools includes a simple login option which allows people to sign up for apps and services with only a phone number—no email required.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.digits.com/">Digits</a>&nbsp;is&nbsp;a free option offered as part of Fabric,&nbsp;three-part developers kit introduced Wednesday at the Twitter Flight developer's conference in San Francisco. With Digits, Twitter is taking an identity more personal than perhaps our email or Twitter handles to login to apps—our phone numbers.</p><p>People simply put in their phone number to receive a confirmation code, and it works with anyone in almost any country, thanks to availability in 216 countries at launch.</p><blockquote><p><strong>See also:&nbsp;<a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/10/22/twitter-flight-developer-tools">Twitter Unveils Its New Developer Toolkit—Fabric</a><a href="http://Twitter Unveils Its New Developer Toolkit—Fabr"></a></strong></p></blockquote><p>Digits also allows people to interact with applications and services without downloading an app in the first place. McDonalds is one of Twitter's early Fabric partners, and uses Digits to let customers take advantage of offers in McDonalds' apps without downloading an application. When someone receives an offer from a friend with a McDonalds app via a text message, it can be redeemed by entering a phone number in the browser window.&nbsp;</p><p>Because Digits is fully white-labelled, it won't even look like a Twitter product, rather the sign in button can be skinned to the design of the maker's app.</p><h2>Why Rely On Phone Numbers?</h2><p>It's a logical choice for Twitter, which began as an SMS platform. But why would anyone choose to give apps their phone number over an email or social login?&nbsp;</p><p>In many parts of the world, some people don't have access to an email address, but always have a mobile number, Jeff Seibert, director of product for Twitter Fabric said during the Flight Keynote. Additionally, trying to juggle or maintain different logins for a variety of apps can be time-consuming, and people might not want to sign in to a professional app with a personal social account. Remembering passwords can be complicated, too, and by using a phone number, a password is not required.</p><p>But it also poses an interesting risk—distributing phone numbers to applications is yet another information leak waiting to happen.</p><p>Snapchat knows firsthand what can happen when a malicious hacker gains access to users' phone numbers. <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/01/02/snapchat-responds-privacy-concerns-app-update-hack">In January</a>, the social company was hit with a group of anonymous hackers compromised 4.6 million Snapchat accounts and posted users' numbers online, with the last two digits blocked out.</p><p>People can create fake social usernames or dummy email addresses that don't compromise personal information if leaked on the Internet. A phone number, on the other hand, requires the real thing. And it's likely tied to other personal information, like your workplace or home address.</p><h2>Phone Numbers Are Stronger Social Identities</h2><p>As Twitter points out, social identities are fractured. Where once Facebook and Google were the two biggest platforms, other communication tools like WhatsApp, Snapchat and even Secret have begun to take over our phones.&nbsp;</p><p>Most of those services don't provide a social login for third-party apps—but what they all have in common is that they use phone numbers to verify identities.&nbsp;</p><p>People might jump from social app to social app, but chances are, their phone number is sticking with them through device upgrades, the rise and fall of popular applications.</p><p>Digits makes it easy for other apps and services to adopt this login option, without spamming user social media pages for promotions. And if the only account required for downloading your application is a phone number, app developers can allow almost anyone in the world with a mobile device to use their apps.</p><p>The phone number may be the only social identity anyone needs.</p><p><em>Story photo courtesy of Twitter. Cover photo by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/quintanomedia/">Anthony Quintano</a>.</em></p><p><br tml-linebreak="true" /></p>No downloads required.http://readwrite.com/2014/10/22/twitter-fabric-digits-phone-login
http://readwrite.com/2014/10/22/twitter-fabric-digits-phone-loginSocialWed, 22 Oct 2014 13:13:21 -0700Selena LarsonFriday Fun: Build A Drinking Game With Twilio MMS And Flickr API<!-- tml-version="2" --><div tml-image="ci01bb85a210012a83" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a2.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTI0ODQwMzQ0OTc3MTk3MDY2.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>You never know the true value of an app until it’s finished. </p><p>Twilio developer evangelist <a href="https://github.com/makaimc/">Matt Makai</a> and I wanted to take advantage of Twilio’s latest feature, <a href="https://www.twilio.com/mms">an API for sending picture messages</a>. (See our <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/09/19/api-defined">API explainer</a> if you don't know what that means.) I pitched Cheer Up!, an uplifting image delivery service. It’d harness the Flickr API to deliver pictures of whatever you want on demand.</p><p>That all went out the window when we decided to use Flickr tags as the image retrieval system. People use tags for all sorts of reasons, and they don’t always make sense. As a result, the app only delivers the photo you want about 50% of the time.</p><p>We could work with that, though. Now we’re introducing <a href="https://github.com/makaimc/mms-picture-roulette">Picture Roulette</a>, an MMS application you can easily create for yourself. Type in a query of one or more words. Does the photo Flickr sends back look like your query? You win! If not, you take a drink. It’s a penalty game made possible by Flickr users’ tagging nonconformity. </p><p>It’s not what we expected to build, but it turned out to be a lot more fun. And at only two cents per picture message, it’s a very cheap thrill. </p><p>Here’s how to get Picture Roulette working on your own phone:</p><h2>Requirements</h2><p>You’ll need a Twilio account, complete with a registered phone number and about $5 in funds. For very thorough instructions on signing up for Twilio, see&nbsp;<a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/04/23/raspberry-pi-connected-home-fish-text-message-twilio">my Twilio tutorial</a>. You’ll need both your AccountSID and secret AuthToken for this project. </p><blockquote><p><strong>See also: </strong><a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/04/23/raspberry-pi-connected-home-fish-text-message-twilio"><strong>My Fish Just Sent Me A Text Message</strong></a></p></blockquote><p>You’ll also need a Flickr API number. In the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/services/">Flickr App Garden</a>, choose to create a new app with a non-commercial license. Flickr will instantly deliver to you a key and a secret key. We don’t need the secret key for this project, but paste the key where you’ll remember it. </p><div tml-image="ci01bb85b0e0019512" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a5.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTI0ODQwNDA4NTk2Mzg3MDkw.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Finally, you’ll need a free-tier Heroku account. We’ll be using Heroku’s one-click-deploy button on GitHub, which makes it so you won’t actually have to do any hard coding. The button, which launched for GitHub last month, lets you create our GitHub app on your own Heroku account without cloning the repository. </p><blockquote><p><strong>See also: </strong><a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/08/07/heroku-github-preview-button-learn-to-code-app"><strong>See What The Code Behind An App Does With Just One Click</strong></a></p></blockquote><h2>Instructions</h2><p>On our <a href="https://github.com/makaimc/mms-picture-roulette">Picture Roulette GitHub repository</a>, click on the purple Heroku button on the Readme file. It should immediately launch Heroku. </p><blockquote><p><strong>See also: <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/04/15/amazon-web-services-hack-bitcoin-miners-github">Developers, Check Your AWS Accounts For Bitcoin Miners</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>Once on Heroku, the app will prompt you to input your Twilio AccountSID and secret AuthToken followed by your Flickr API key. Heroku can’t launch an app that isn’t fully functional, and the app as it sits on GitHub isn’t fully functional without input from you. That’s because we know better than to put our secret key in a public GitHub repository. <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/04/15/amazon-web-services-hack-bitcoin-miners-github">Right?</a></p><div tml-image="ci01bb85a9d001c80a" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTI0ODQwMzc4MjYzMjAzODEw.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Click “Deploy for Free” and wait for the app to build. Sometimes it can take quite a while. Once all the steps have green circles next to them, click “view it” at the bottom of the screen.</p><div tml-image="ci01bb85af4001c80a" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTI0ODQwNDAxMzQ4NjUzMDI2.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>If the app deployed correctly, it shouldn’t look very exciting. As the screenshot indicates, it will simply let you know if the deployment worked. Now, do as it says and copy the browser URL for your Heroku app—i.e., the URL in your browser window right now. No two Heroku apps can have the same name since they’re <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/09/23/heroku-for-beginners-app-hosting-101">all stored in the same stack</a>, so it’ll have a funny nature inspired name like “boiling forest” or “blooming spring.”</p><div tml-image="ci01bb85ac4001efe2" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a2.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTI0ODQwMzg4NzMyMTM2MDY3.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><blockquote><p><strong>See also: </strong><a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/09/23/heroku-for-beginners-app-hosting-101"><strong>Heroku 101: A Beginner's Guide To Hosting Apps In The Cloud</strong></a></p></blockquote><p>Now, navigate to your Twilio account and go to the Numbers tab. Click on your Twilio number and paste the URL into the Messaging Request URL field. Press save. </p><div tml-image="ci01bb85adc001efe2" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTI0ODQwMzk1MTc0NjE3MTYw.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Try texting a word to your Twilio number from your phone. Wait about 20 seconds, and Flickr should send you back a photo of that word! Maybe. </p><h2>How It Works</h2><p>If you look around the Picture Roulette repository, you’ll notice that no document contains more than 50 lines of code. That’s because this Python application lets the Twilio API and Flickr API do most of the heavy lifting. It also uses <a href="http://www.fullstackpython.com/flask.html">Flask</a>, a Python microframework, to hold everything together. </p><p>The heart of the program lies in <a href="https://github.com/makaimc/mms-picture-roulette/blob/master/roulette/views.py">views.py</a>. Here, you can see where Matt imported the Twilio and Flickr APIs and set up three functions:</p><ul><li><strong>send_image</strong> is the function behind the Heroku app deployment. If your app launches correctly, this function makes a message display on the screen when you view it in your web browser.</li><li><strong>_get_flickr_image</strong> is what makes the game stay fresh, even if you play it day after day. This function calls the Flickr API and tells it to browse the 25 first results by their tag. One of those results will randomly be sent to you. So if you keep texting “pumpkin,” over and over, you’ll get a different image every time. As people continue to load new images into Flickr, the 25 first tagged results will change over time.</li><li><strong>_send_mms_twiml</strong> interacts with the Twilio MMS API. “TwiML,” stands for <a href="https://www.twilio.com/docs/api/twiml">Twilio Markup Language</a>, and is used as a set of instructions to tell Twilio what to do in response to a text to your Twilio number. In this case, the function tells it to return a photo message to the sender.</li></ul><p>The bulk of the other files tell the Picture Roulette GitHub repository use the Flask framework to interact with Heroku so it can be easily deployed. You can also read about setting up any GitHub repository to deploy to Heroku in an <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/08/07/heroku-github-preview-button-learn-to-code-app">earlier tutorial</a>. </p><p>Here's what it might look like in action. Maybe:</p><div tml-image="ci01bb85a4b001c80a" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-size="large" tml-render-position="center"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTI0ODQwMzU2NTE5OTMxODc0.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Let us know if you had fun with Picture Roulette. And if you’ve got suggestions for how we can make it better, you’re welcome to submit a <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/07/02/github-pull-request-etiquette">pull request</a>.&nbsp;</p><p><em>Screenshots by Lauren Orsini for ReadWrite</em></p>BYOAPI.http://readwrite.com/2014/09/26/friday-fun-twilio-flickr-api-picture-roulette-drinking-game
http://readwrite.com/2014/09/26/friday-fun-twilio-flickr-api-picture-roulette-drinking-gameHackFri, 26 Sep 2014 12:59:19 -0700Lauren OrsiniWhy There Are So Many New Kinds Of Messaging Apps<!-- tml-version="2" --><p><em>This is the last part of ReadWrite's four-part series on the <a href="http://readwrite.com/series/future-of-messaging">future of messaging</a>. Follow our ongoing coverage of <a href="http://readwrite.com/tag/messaging">messaging</a>.</em></p><p>When text messaging first spread, we got 160-character texts. Then multimedia messaging added photos to the mix—if you were lucky and your carrier supported it.</p><p>The skyrocketing popularity of messaging apps around the world signals a shift in the way we communicate. Now we can share more than a simple thought rendered in text. We can share cartoon characters, disappearing selfies, our current location—even our phone's battery life. The new Apple Watch's forthcoming messaging app has us imagine a world where we tell our loved ones we're alive in a literal yet visceral way—by sharing our heartbeat.</p><p>The variety of messaging apps makes it hard to pick just one and stick to it. Just look at how teens have jumped from Twitter and Facebook to Instagram to Snapchat.</p><p>With jaw-dropping amounts of money being ponied up by investors and acquirers—like Facebook spending&nbsp;<a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/02/19/facebook-whatsapp-acquisition">$19 billion on WhatsApp</a>—entrepreneurs are racing to get ahead of the next big trend, with the hopes of amassing users and then big paychecks.&nbsp;</p><p>The Next Big Thing will likely not be one messaging app, but many. Developers have begun to shift from do-it-all messengers with every imaginable feature to apps that embrace simplicity—and do just one kind of communication very well.</p><h2>A Messenger's First Job: Replacing Texts</h2><p>Messaging stalwarts like <a href="http://www.whatsapp.com/">WhatsApp</a> and <a href="http://www.wechat.com/en/">WeChat</a> took traditional messaging features from SMS, the wireless-carrier standard for text messaging, and expanded on them to provide users with a way to communicate while avoiding texting fees. </p><div tml-image="ci01af657b43e6860d" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-size="large" tml-render-position="center"><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTE5NTU2MzIzNTk0NzAwMjk5.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>SMS is unlikely to go away soon, but it lacks many key features. That's what prompts so many users to seek out apps to replace it. The 160-character limit of standard SMS is just one example of its limitations.</p><blockquote><p><strong>See Also: <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/03/06/10-biggest-popular-mobile-messaging-apps-world-whatsapp">The 10 Most Popular Mobile Messaging Apps In The World</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>In most parts of the world, texting is expensive. The unlimited-texting plans available in the US are relatively uncommon elsewhere. International texting is particularly pricey. So apps like WhatsApp take advantage of data plans and Wi-Fi connections to take regular texting and make it cheaper. </p><p>Especially in global markets, such apps have skyrocketed in popularity. As ReadWrite&nbsp;<a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/03/06/10-biggest-popular-mobile-messaging-apps-world-whatsapp">reported earlier this year</a>, your geographic location might dictate which apps you use. In Asia, WeChat, <a href="http://line.me/en/">Line</a> and <a href="http://www.kakao.com/talk/">KakaoTalk</a> are among the most popular, whereas in North America it’s <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/03/06/10-biggest-popular-mobile-messaging-apps-world-whatsapp">WhatsApp</a> and <a href="http://kik.com/">Kik</a>.</p><h2>Disappearing Messages Are Here To Stay</h2><p><a href="https://www.snapchat.com/">Snapchat</a> is largely credited with kicking off the disappearing messages trend, but it’s not the only app out there. As soon as Snapchat exploded on the scene, Internet players both small and large—<a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/06/09/facebook-slingshot-snapchat-poke-ephemeral-messaging">including Facebook</a>—fell over themselves to replicate the features that drove Snapchat’s growth.</p><div tml-image="ci01a33b7bbc6e860e" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-size="medium" tml-render-position="right"><figure><img src="http://a2.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIxNDI3Mjk1MDU2MjY2NzY1.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Messages are now <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/12/20/snapchat-rivals-competitors">disappearing everywhere</a>, and even if they don’t <em></em><a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/05/08/snapchat-ftc-wrist-slap-user-privacy"><em>technically</em> disappear</a> on Snapchat, people are still increasingly expecting an option for messaging that won't go down on their permanent records. The incidents of celebrity's iCloud accounts getting hacked is just another reason consumers want their selfies to disappear. Whether it’s a selfie on Snapchat or a secure document on <a href="http://wickr.com/">Wickr</a>, sending and receiving messages that don't stick around have become a central part of the way people communicate.</p><h2>The Yo Effect</h2><p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yo./id834335592?mt=8">Yo</a>&nbsp;was created as an easy way for a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-the-1-million-yo-app-was-created-2014-6">man to contact his secretary</a>, and it turned into the talk of Silicon Valley. In fact, at its peak, <a href="http://mashable.com/2014/06/19/yo-facebook-slingshot/">Yo had more downloads</a> than Facebook’s Snapchat clone, Slingshot.</p><p>Yo cofounder Moshe Hogeg claims is a great way for letting someone know that you’re thinking of them, and the app has spawned a handful of copycats, including <a href="http://www.dailydot.com/technology/yo-hodor-yo-parody-game-of-thrones/">one called “Hodor”</a> that riffs on&nbsp;<em>Game of Thrones</em>, the popular book series turned HBO show. ReadWrite's Lauren Orsini describes how you can <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/07/11/one-click-messaging-app">make your own Yo clone</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>But it’s not the message that matters. It's the medium. Specifically, it's how Yo's "yos" arrive as push notifications, rather than another message in an overcrowded inbox. Eventually, we might Yo our devices, not just our friends. A slew of <a href="http://blog.ifttt.com/post/90463327708/introducing-the-saga-and-yo-channels">recipes on IFTTT</a> can connect with your smart home. Yo, thermostat, turn up the heat!</p><h2>The Walkie-Talkie, Reinvented</h2><p>I remember running around the yard playing with walkie-talkies when I was a kid. When I grew up, I started using <a href="http://voxer.com/">Voxer</a> to keep in touch with friends and family. Even though I regularly ignore voicemails, I’m always anxious to check the voice messages my sister leaves me through the app.&nbsp;</p><p>Voice messaging is also a feature of Path Talk, the social network's spinoff messaging app, and many do-it-all messaging apps feature the ability to send audio recordings.</p><p>Apple is even getting on board with this trend. In iOS 8, the company <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/06/03/apple-ios-8-customer-feedback-android-features">introduced a new voice messaging feature</a> that lets you send friends audio messages through iMessage. </p><div tml-image="ci01a87e1f1917860f" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-size="xlarge"><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIzMDQ5NjYzNjA3NDQwOTA4.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><h2>Emoji </h2><p>Those tiny, cartoon-like icons you now see everywhere are the cave drawings of the 21st century. </p><p>Emoji originated in Japan in the late '90s as colorful adaptations of standard chat emoticons like the “:)” smiley. Eventually emoji became a standard part of the online alphabet—literally incorporated into the Unicode standard. It was only a matter of time before we got a chat app based exclusively on emoji. </p><p><a href="http://emoj.li/">Emoj.li</a> wants to be a way to keep in contact with your friends using only emoji icons. In fact, you don’t even have a name attached to your account when you sign up. </p><p>Other messaging apps seek to differentiate themselves—and sometimes make money—through custom emoji sets.</p><h2>Ambient Messaging</h2><p>Have you ever wanted to let your friend know you were running late, but were unable to text them? Thanks to ambient location services, it will soon be possible to message your friends without, well, messaging them.</p><div tml-image="ci01b529046110860c" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-size="medium" tml-render-position="left"><figure><img src="http://a5.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIzMDQ5NjYzNjA3NTA2NDQ0.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Social networks like <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/04/17/facebook-nearby-friends-location-sharing">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/05/16/foursquare-swarm-location-services-apps">Foursquare’s Swarm</a> have adopted ambient services as way for friends to know the general area of one another without telling each other outright. But Path’s new messaging app takes that one step further.</p><p>Path Talk, the <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/20/5827452/path-is-back-path-talk-messaging-app-acquires-talkto-unlimited-friends-list-dave-morin">standalone messaging app</a> Path released in June, is a way for people to share information with friends like “in transit,” or “listening to music,” without actively inputting that information. </p><p>Critics of ambient location think it’s creepy and potentially invasive, but apps are quick to point out that these services are opt-in, so you have complete control of who can see where you are and what you’re doing. </p><h2>What’s Next?</h2><p>It’s impossible to predict what new feature is going to appeal to people in the long run. While apps like Yo are fun to play with, they're also easy to ditch for another app your friends are on. The more permanent message they deliver is how they've present us with a new way of communicating.&nbsp;</p><p>It's up to us to explore these new worlds messaging apps create. In the race to become the most popular way to communicate, some startup will inevitably create the messenger we never knew we wanted—until we found it.</p><p><em>Illustrations by Madeleine Weiss for ReadWrite</em></p>We're getting entirely new ways to communicate.http://readwrite.com/2014/09/25/messaging-apps-niche-yo-snapchat-whatsapp
http://readwrite.com/2014/09/25/messaging-apps-niche-yo-snapchat-whatsappSocialThu, 25 Sep 2014 06:00:00 -0700Selena LarsonWhy No One's Going To Win The Messaging War<!-- tml-version="2" --><p><em>This is the first part of ReadWrite's four-part series on the <a href="http://readwrite.com/series/future-of-messaging/">future of messaging</a>.</em></p><p>I was a teenage early adopter.</p><p>To me, it seemed like everyone else in my 8th grade class already had a cell phone when I got my first one a decade ago. But back then, <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2005/07/25/teens-forge-forward-with-the-internet-and-other-new-technologies/">only a third of American teens had sent a text message</a>, according to the Pew Research Center. Three out of four teens, however, used instant messaging on their computers.</p><p>Fast forward a decade, and that percentage has neatly flipped. By 2012, <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2012/03/19/teens-smartphones-texting/">75% of American teens were texting</a>, most of them daily, while only 22% used desktop-oriented instant messaging services on a daily basis.&nbsp;</p><p>In that same time frame, social networks have become ubiquitous, and to some oppressive. Broadcasting our daily activities to a hungry audience of casual online acquaintances isn't something most people care to do. For them, messaging is a retreat to a safer, more intimate way of communicating.</p><p>Now texting is exploding—and fragmenting. Where we'll end up a decade from now is just as hard to predict as the massive leap we took from 2004 to 2014.</p><p>Controlling the way we communicate is a valuable prize, as Facebook and Twitter's large valuations reveal. If social networks, which fostered the idea of broadcasting our status, give way to more private tools like messaging apps, the very shape of the Internet landscape will be transformed beyond recognition.</p><h2>Beyond Texting</h2><p>I’m pretty sure my first text was “I finally got a cell phone.” When I got my megatrendy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_3310">Nokia 3310</a>&nbsp;candybar-style phone with a Superman case, texting meant you have a cell phone, and having a cell phone meant you could text.&nbsp;</p><div tml-image="ci01b529046112860c" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-size="medium" tml-render-position="right"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTE4MDAzNDE3ODcwMzM3NTUw.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Messages are more than text, and more than phones. We now send messages using apps that add photos, videos, and other forms of communication while bypassing cell-phone companies' networks.&nbsp;</p><p>And messaging has become a high-stakes business, with billions of dollars at play.</p><p>In the last few years, a handful of massively successful messaging applications—and even more copycats—have launched. They all aim to provide a better way to communicate privately, one that's superior to both traditional text messaging and to older social networks like Facebook and Twitter. And they are made possible by the rise of smartphones and fast, cheap data networks around the world.</p><blockquote><p><strong>See Also: <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/03/06/10-biggest-popular-mobile-messaging-apps-world-whatsapp">The 10 Most Popular Mobile Messaging Apps In The World</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>The most notable one is WhatsApp, a company that Facebook is in the process of acquiring for $19 billion, which now has more than 500 million users. WeChat, a messaging service developed by Chinese Internet giant Tencent, is closing in on WhatsApp with 438 million users. There are other contenders including Kik, a messaging and gaming app; Line, which filed <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/07/16/messaging-app-line-files-for-i-p-o-in-tokyo/">for an IPO</a>&nbsp;in July; Viber, acquired by Japanese e-commerce company&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-17/rakuten-falls-on-900-million-deal-to-acquire-viber-message-app.html">Rakuten for $900 million</a>; and the disappearing-message startup Snapchat, which Facebook has now&nbsp;<a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/06/09/facebook-slingshot-snapchat-poke-ephemeral-messaging">tried to copy</a> twice.</p><h2>The Text To End All Texts?</h2><p>All of them face the most formidable competition not in each other but in the Short Message Service protocol, or SMS—the standard for text messages used by cell-phone companies around the world.</p><p>The first text message was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-first-text-message-ever-2013-12">sent in 1992</a>. Neil Papworth, a software engineer for the Sema Group in the United Kingdom, sat down and tapped out “Merry Christmas.”</p><p>In the United States, where wireless carriers were late to offer standardized text messaging, teens drove adoption. But in the rest of the world, texting was a way of avoiding wallet-draining phone calls. (In Europe and Asia, wireless customers typically pay by the minute rather than buying monthly buckets of minutes or unlimited plans, as we do in the States.)</p><p>In 1995 people were sending only <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20020215194430/http://www.gsmworld.com/news/press_2001/press_releases_4.shtml">5 messages a year</a>&nbsp;on average, through a limited set of wireless carriers. That number has skyrocketed. In<a href="http://blogs.forrester.com/michael_ogrady/12-06-19-sms_usage_remains_strong_in_the_us_6_billion_sms_messages_are_sent_each_day">&nbsp;2012</a>, people around the world sent 2 trillion text messages. That's 333 for each person with a<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/11/cell-phones-world-subscribers-six-billion_n_1957173.html">&nbsp;phone on the planet.</a>&nbsp;Those messages cost almost nothing for carriers to transmit, but the senders typically pay a few pennies for each one, making it a lucrative business—one that messaging apps are eager to take a piece of.&nbsp;</p><h2>Why Texting Isn’t Enough</h2><p>Messaging is more than a business opportunity. It has deep meaning in our daily lives.</p><p>What makes messaging special—and drives us away from social media—is that messaging apps let us talk one on one, or with a small group. They give us a direct line of communication to people we care about. We can send a note that won't get buried among a hundred other people's updates in a news feed or timeline.</p><p>But how will we send those notes? That's the critical question.</p><p>The inexorable rise of Facebook, and the concomitant decline of Myspace and Friendster, has led some to think that any app with social features is playing in a winner-take-all market. But that doesn't seem to be happening in messaging.</p><p>Despite Facebook's dominance, we've grown accustomed to using different social networks to manage our online identities—Facebook for friends, LinkedIn for work, and Twitter for news and information. That digital fragmentation will apply to private communications, too.</p><p>It's easier than ever to <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/07/11/one-click-messaging-app">build a messaging app</a>, which can simply pull from our phone's address books to populate a list of people to talk to.&nbsp;It's not hard to keep up with multiple inboxes on a modern smartphone, where notifications tell us when we've got a new message.</p><p>Traditional SMS text messages won't go away anytime soon. But what SMS lacks is precisely what gives messaging apps opportunities to grow. For many, texting still costs quite a bit of money. And it is restricted to 160 characters; you can send pictures and video on some services, but carriers haven't worked out all of the kinks, and they're aiming to charge even more for those extra. Texting may be the original mobile messaging service, but its shortcomings are painfully acute.&nbsp;</p><div tml-image="ci01af657b43e1860d" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-position="left" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTE4MDAzNDE3ODcwNDY4NjIy.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>“Most of [these messaging apps] started as a cheaper alternative to SMS and other messaging formats,” said Forrester analyst Thomas Husson, author of the report <a href="http://www.forrester.com/Messaging+Apps+Mobile+Becomes+The+New+Face+Of+Social/fulltext/-/E-RES116204?intcmp=blog:forrlink&amp;isTurnHighlighting=false&amp;highlightTerm=husson">Messaging Apps: Mobile Becomes The New Face Of Social</a>. “They were created in the last two, three, four years and they leverage app platforms, like iOS or Android, successfully reach out to hundreds of millions of customers worldwide.”</p><h2>Why Multiple Messaging Apps Will Thrive</h2><p>I still use SMS, but not as frequently as I did when I was younger. </p><p>There are six main messaging applications in the “social” bucket on my iPhone. For the most part, I use Apple's iMessage, which essentially hijacks the built-in texting service of your phone to send free messages over your data plan. I have two friends who only ever message me on Snapchat. Another prefers Google Hangouts. I rarely open Facebook Messenger—mostly when I forget how Facebook&nbsp;<a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/04/09/facebook-requires-users-to-download-messenger-in-order-to-chat-on-mobile">now pushes you into its standalone Messenger app</a>&nbsp;when you’re on your phone. I find Twitter’s direct-message feature, which is in&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Support/statuses/490260546818543618">desperate need of a rumored upgrade</a>,&nbsp;helpful for staying connected to people I only know tangentially through the Internet. I used to use Skype for work, though we dropped it for Slack, a <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/08/14/stewart-butterfield-tiny-speck-slack">service that's designed to help teams communicate</a>.</p><p>Because all these messaging apps require both the sender and recipient to have the same service installed, what ends up happening is that we all have different friends on different applications. Figuring out which messaging app to use is like moving to a new city and figuring out which neighborhood to hang out in. If you want to see all your friends, you'll have to roam around.</p><p>My friends are not all alike. Some like sharing selfies from work that disappear after I’ve viewed them. Others prefer to send cute digital stickers, or voice-only messages which make me feel like a kid using walkie-talkies in the backyard. </p><h2>Facebook Won't Own Messaging The Way It Owns Social Networking</h2><p>The shift from one-to-many communication, like Twitter and Facebok, to one-to-few, like WhatsApp and WeChat, is forcing startups and social giants alike to rethink their strategy.&nbsp;</p><p>Messaging apps are trying to take the basic human need for chatting with friends and family and turn it into something at once unique enough to draw interest, yet simple enough for the masses to adopt.</p><p>“Look at Facebook in particular and how they’re reacting to this WhatsApp acquisition, and the decision to not necessarily integrate that service into one single digital platform, but ... create a constellation of apps,” Husson said. “More and more services are integrated into it—not like the one-size-fits-all social media app that Facebook used to be.”</p><p>The rise of Snapchat prompted Facebook to create a <a href="http://readwrite.com/2012/12/21/test-driving-poke-facebooks-new-safer-sexting-app-for-tweens">copycat called Poke</a> that swiftly failed. Then it decided it might be better to buy than to build, snapping up WhatsApp, the world’s largest messaging app, <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/02/19/facebook-whatsapp-acquisition">for $19 billion</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>It’s still gambling on building a disappearing-message service to rival Snapchat’s popularity, <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/06/09/facebook-slingshot-snapchat-poke-ephemeral-messaging">but its latest attempt</a>, Slingshot, has slumped to No. 444 in the App Store for photo and video apps. Facebook's disappearing-message app is what's really disappearing.</p><p>Facebook is making many bets on messaging, though, from its own Facebook Messenger app to Instagram Direct, a tool for sending photos to a small group of people within the photo-sharing service, which normally broadcasts photos to the public like Twitter. On Android, Facebook Messenger takes over your regular texts, much like iMessage does on iPhones.</p><p>Before Facebook offered private messaging, users posted messages on each other's profiles in an attempt to communicate. It's clear that messaging is a crucial part of the Facebook experience. It's just not clear that Facebook, even with WhatsApp in its arsenal, will own all of messaging.</p><h2>The Fight Has Only Just Begun</h2><p>Just like we use different social networks for different purposes, messaging apps will fill distinct needs. </p><p>What people want in a messaging app is the same thing we’ve wanted since we texted our first “Hello": a way to privately connect with friends and family. Yo, a much-ridiculed app which lets you send just one word of acknowledgement to your friends, boils down that desire for connection to its purest essence.</p><div tml-image="ci01a8bfd7c67d860b" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-size="medium" tml-render-position="right"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIzMDQ5NjYzNjA4MDMwNzMy.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>There’s a lot riding on controlling how we talk to friends—just look at the billions companies are paying for messaging services.&nbsp;</p><p>But thanks to the pervasiveness of smartphones, and humans’ desire to connect with each other one on one or in small groups, messaging will only grow. And unlike in the world of social networks, where there's unquestionable value in centralizing our activity, nothing will drive people to use just one app.</p><p>For the foreseeable future, we'll live in a world where Snapchat lives alongside WhatsApp, where one-tap apps like Yo persist next to complex platforms for gaming and socializing like Line. Juggling multiple apps may be a mild aggravation for users like us. But if it means that no one company will control our most intimate communications, that seems like a tradeoff worth making.</p><p><em>Lead image by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wefi_official/10331536704">Anne Worner</a>, illustrations by </em><em>Nigel Sussman for ReadWrite</em></p>WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Yo, oh my!http://readwrite.com/2014/08/13/messaging-apps-fight-texting
http://readwrite.com/2014/08/13/messaging-apps-fight-textingSocialWed, 13 Aug 2014 10:53:34 -0700Selena LarsonFriday Fun: Create Your Own Obnoxiously Simple Messaging App Just Like Yo<!-- tml-version="2" --><p>You’ve heard about <a href="http://www.justyo.co/">Yo</a>, the bare-minimum messaging app that does nothing but send your friends a "Yo" message with just one tap. In its wake have come&nbsp;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/oy-one-touch-sms/id895685479?ls=1&amp;mt=8">Oy</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yo-hodor/id892110291?mt=8">Yo, Hodor</a>, and others.&nbsp;</p><p>Bare-bones messaging is all the rage, because, let's face it, actually composing a message made up of original words you think up in your head is a lot of work.</p><p>The sheer fatuousness of these apps has riled people up. While others pondered why anyone would sully the world by creating Yo and its ilk, we had a different question: How hard is it to code a simple messaging app that just sends a predetermined phrase?</p><p>There was only one way to find out.</p><p>We had to build our own annoying messaging app.</p><div tml-image="ci01af657b11e0860d" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTE4MDAzNDE2OTg2MjU2OTEw.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Meet <a href="https://github.com/laurenorsini/one-click-message">One Click Message</a>, a Yo-like app built with the help of <a href="https://twitter.com/mattmakai">Matt Makai</a>, a developer evangelist at <a href="https://www.twilio.com/">Twilio</a>.</p><p>&nbsp;I used text messaging rather than push notifications because text is a universal, sure-fire way to annoy your friends without requiring them—as Yo does—to download an app.</p><p>I wrote the app in Python, an <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/07/08/what-makes-python-easy-to-learn">English-like programming language ideal for beginner developers</a> who want to make something silly while working with Python. It took all of 29 lines of code.&nbsp;</p><p>Here's a tutorial to help you follow along with the process, so you can see how easy it is for anyone to build a simple Yo clone.</p><p>One Click Message is a Web app, not a phone app, but it still texts anyone you want. When you build it, you select a word or phrase that you’d like to send in one click. Mine <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/rickroll">rickrolls</a> people with Rick Astley lyrics.</p><div tml-image="ci01af657b1220860d" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-size="medium" tml-render-position="center"><figure><img src="http://a2.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIxNDI3Mjk0MjIxNjY1ODA1.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>And when your friends text you back, you can display all their exasperated replies like trophies right there on your Web app. (Note to self: I may need to get a lawyer soon. Or new friends.)</p><p>There’s very minimal coding required to get this off the ground. While I'll walk you through how I wrote the app, you don't have to redo the raw coding. Instead, you can copy my work—feel free!—by cloning my GitHub repository, where I stored the source code for the very small, simple program.</p><p>Want your own? Here’s how to do it in just ten steps. </p><h2>1) Sign Up For Twilio</h2><p>Twilio is a company that makes developer-friendly set of tools for creating text and voice applications. Twilio lets you call and text your own phone number for free and charges three fourths of a penny for calls and text messages to any other phone.</p><div tml-image="ci01b2d98146a5860c" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-position="center" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTE5NTU2MzIyNjU4NjQ5NjEx.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>When you sign up, Twilio will give you a phone number (this is what our app will use to text your friends) and API credentials (this is what will allow our app to access our account). I’ve blurred mine out because you should never share these with anybody! </p><h2>2) Upgrade Your Twilio Account</h2><p>In my previous tutorial, <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/04/23/raspberry-pi-connected-home-fish-text-message-twilio">My Fish Just Sent Me A Text Message</a>, we used Twilio for free, because I was just sending texts to myself. But for a messaging app, we’re going to want to be able to text other people too, so we’re going to have to <a href="https://www.twilio.com/help/faq/billing-pricing/how-do-i-upgrade-to-a-paid-account">upgrade our Twilio account</a> by paying for it.</p><p>Twilio uses a credit card on file to bill you, but if you add $5 to your account, that’s enough to send and receive about 666 texts on your app—plenty for an experiment like this.</p><p>Why pay for texts? Twilio is one of the easiest ways I've found to integrate messaging into your development projects, and carriers charge for every text message anyway. It's hard to find a similar service that's both free and flexible.</p><p>I promise this is the first and last time you’ll have to fork over money for this tutorial. Let’s move on to another tiered free-to-pay tool, of which we’ll be using just the free part...</p><h2>3) Sign Up For Nitrous.io</h2><div tml-image="ci01af657b11e3860d" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a2.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzk5Mjg5MTUxNzUxNjky.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>There are a lot of options for spaces where you can build and host your own online app. When I built a <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/06/20/random-non-sequitur-twitter-bot-instructions?awesm=readwr.it_j22A">random non-sequitur Twitter bot</a>, I used <a href="https://dashboard.heroku.com/apps">Heroku</a>. This time I’m using one of Heroku’s competitors, Nitrous.io. They’re both development environments and online hosts for apps. This means you don't have to think about setting up your own server—you can just run your code and go.</p><p>Why choose one Web-based app builder over another? In this case, I chose Nitrous because it launched with Twilio functionality already built in. Using a different service might mean having to write more code, and I wanted to do the least amount of work possible here.</p><p>Sign up with an email and wait for Nitrous.io to email you your confirmation. </p><h2>4) Create A New "Box" For Your Code</h2><p>On Nitrous.io, you build and host apps by putting them in different repositories, or as Nitrous calls them, boxes. A free account earns you one box. That's plenty.</p><p>Once you’re signed up with Nitrous, go to your dashboard and click the orange button that says "New Box." Ours is a Python app, so select “Python/Django.”</p><p>Don’t worry about the unusual name Nitrous.io will assign you. It does so to make sure every box has a unique name. Because it's so easy to create new boxes, Nitrous has to make sure it has lots of names available and they don't repeat.</p><p>Finally, at the bottom where it says, “Download a GitHub repo,” you’ll want to select my One Click Message repository by typing in <a href="https://github.com/laurenorsini/one-click-message.git">https://github.com/laurenorsini/one-click-message.git</a>.</p><p>Take a moment here, if you like, to look at my code. I use&nbsp;Flask, a microframework for Python, which adds new usability to Python in a number of different ways. For the purposes of this project, we're focusing on Flask's ability to simplify integrating Web-based forms with the Python language. In this case, it's a form that collects your friend's phone number and passes it on to Twilio, which in turn sends out your designated annoyance text.</p><p>Why use a microframework instead of just writing it all myself in Python? Because it's another opportunity to write less code than we have to. Instead of writing lines of code to bridge the gap between Web forms and Python functions, we just call Flask in to do our dirty work.</p><p>When you're done, it should look like this:</p><div tml-image="ci01af657b11e6860d" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a5.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIxNDI3Mjk0MjE3ODY0NzE3.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><h2>5) Set up the Integrated Development Environment (IDE)</h2><p>When your box is created, there will be a new orange button below it that says IDE. An IDE, or integrated development environment, is just a place where you can work on code. Click it. You’re now in the part of Nitrous that lets you examine and edit your app’s code.</p><div tml-image="ci01a8bfd78ec1860b" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTE5NDg0MDYxMjQ5NDA2NDc5.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>There are a couple of panels here. To the left is the file hierarchy. If you click on “Workspace,” you’ll see the GitHub repository “one-click-message” populated beneath it. To the right is the chat. I usually just close that, because I'm working on this myself rather than with coding partners.&nbsp;</p><p>In the center is where you edit files. And the entire bottom half of the screen is the console, where you test and deploy programs. </p><p>Let’s go down to that bottom screen now. First, we need to install the Twilio API like this:</p><p><pre>pip install twilio</pre></p><p>This is one of the benefits of using Nitrous. Because we selected its Python option, pip, a program which helps install new Python code, is already installed.</p><div tml-image="ci01a87e1ee31b860f" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a2.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTE5NDg0MDYxMjQ5NTM3NTUx.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Next, we’re going to install Flask, the framework that adds additional functionality to Python programs. Remember how our finished app allows you to input a phone number? While Twilio is adding messaging functionality, Flask makes it possible to build responsive Python forms.</p><p><pre>pip install flask</pre></p><p>Now you’ve got all the tools you need in your IDE to get this project going.</p><h2>6) Add Your Twilio Identication to App.py</h2><p>If you look inside the one-click-message folder, you’ll see that there are six files in it, not counting images. Two of these, form.html and messages.html inside the Templates folder, make up the visual Web pages that you see when you interact with the app. The cascading style sheet, form.css, is what makes them look pretty. </p><p>But the glue holding the entire project together is a Python script named app.py. This is the only part of the project you actually have to alter in order to get it to function.</p><p>Inside app.py, I’ve inserted comments about what certain parts of the program do. The part you need to pay attention to right now is:</p><p><pre>client = TwilioRestClient ('ABC', '0123')&nbsp;</pre></p><p><pre>twilio_number = "+1234567890"&nbsp;</pre></p><p>Fill in your Twilio credentials on the first line, and your Twilio phone number on the second. With these lines, we’re telling the program how to talk to Twilio's application programming interface, and whose account to use.</p><h2>7) The Fun Part: Add Your Message</h2><p>Maybe it’s a stupid joke. Maybe it’s a really long string of words you text to people frequently and are tired of writing out. Maybe it’s a really long stupid joke. Either way, you’re going to want to put it in on this line in app.py:</p><p><pre>client.messages.create(to=formatted_number, from_ = twilio_number, body = "Message of your choice.")&nbsp;</pre></p><p>As you can see, it’s easy enough to change the message by going back into app.py and adjusting this line. So just put something fun for now. </p><p>Note to out-of-United-States tutorial readers: This is also where you would want to customize the program with your country code.</p><p><pre>formatted_number = "+1" + number</pre></p><p>I’ve told the program to add “+1” to any number inputted in the app because I’m in the US and so are the people I plan to text. But it may be different for you.</p><p>Finally, don’t forget to save the newly edited app.py!</p><h2>8) Run Python</h2><p>OK, we’re getting close to finishing up! Go back to the console at the bottom and navigate to the folder where app.py lives like this:</p><p><pre>cd workspace</pre></p><p><pre>cd one-click-message</pre></p><p>cd is a command that stands for “change directory.” We’re changing from our main directory to the one where app.py is so we can run app.py. </p><p>Here’s how you actual run it:</p><p><pre>python app.py</pre></p><p>If you are in the right directory, the IDE should spit back something like this:</p><p><pre> * Running on http://0.0.0.0:3000/ </pre></p><p><pre> * Restarting with reloader </pre></p><h2>9) Preview Your App</h2><p>With Python still running, go to the navigation bar at the top of the IDE and select Preview: Port 3000. We want the public port 3000, not the SSL (secure socket layer) option.</p><div tml-image="ci01a8bfd78ebc860b" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a2.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIxNDI3Mjk0MjE4NTIwMDc3.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Your app should open up in another window, like this!</p><div tml-image="ci01af657b11e0860d" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTE4MDAzNDE2OTg2MjU2OTEw.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><h2>10) Get Texting!</h2><p>Try out your new app by texting your own phone number. Don’t forget, you need to put it in like this: 1234567890, not like this: (123) 456 - 7890 for it to work. (It wouldn't be hard to add a few more lines that match patterns by using a library like <a href="https://github.com/daviddrysdale/python-phonenumbers">python-phonenumbers</a>, but for simplicity, I skipped that.)</p><p>After you hit send, try sending a reply text, and refresh the page. This will probably be the least-irritated response you’ll get!</p><div tml-image="ci01af657b11e8860d" tml-image-caption="How the ReadWrite team replied to my app.&amp;nbsp;"><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzk5Mjg5MTUxODE3MjI4.png" /><figcaption>How the ReadWrite team replied to my app.&amp;nbsp;</figcaption></figure></div><p>Text your friends, or share the app’s address with them and trick them into texting themselves. </p><p>Have fun! And if you get somebody to invest a million bucks in your obnoxious one-click messaging app, that’s just icing on the cake.</p><p><em>Lead photo by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/jhaymesisvip/">Jhaymesisviphotography</a></em></p><p><a href="http://www.imagecodr.org/"></a></p><p><strong> </strong></p>There's a reason why these bug-your-friends apps are proliferating.http://readwrite.com/2014/07/11/one-click-messaging-app
http://readwrite.com/2014/07/11/one-click-messaging-appHackFri, 11 Jul 2014 09:03:00 -0700Lauren OrsiniWith OS X Yosemite, You Can Send And Receive Texts And Phone Calls From Your Mac<!-- tml-version="2" --><div tml-image="ci01b27ffb30018266" tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzAwODU1NjM3NTM2MDI1.jpg" /></figure></div><p>Today Apple announced OS X Yosemite, the latest version of its Mac software. The developer preview is available today, and it will be released free to everyone in the fall. &nbsp;</p><p>One of the biggest changes affects how iPhone users send and receive text messages from users who don’t have iMessage, as well as changing how users can make and receive phone calls.</p><blockquote tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><p><strong>See also: <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/05/23/apple-imessage-for-android">It's Time To Get iMessage On Android</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>With OS X Yosemite, users will be able to send and receive text messages and phone calls directly from their Macs.</p><p>Historically, iPhone users have only been able to make and receive text messages and phone calls direct from their iPhones—text messages from Android or Windows devices are shown in green text bubbles, whereas iMessages from iPhones, iPads and Macs appear as blue text bubbles. iMessages travel to Macs, while ordinary SMS text messages haven't to date. This update changes that, bringing all text messages to Apple's desktop systems.</p><p>“Green bubble friends, they have inferior devices,” senior vice president of Software Engineering Craig Federighi said on stage at WWDC when he announced the new text and phone call features. The audience—largely composed of Apple developers inclined to think well of the company’s products—broke out in applause and laughter.</p><p>Not laughing: Users who have switched from iPhones to Android smartphones, only to find <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/05/22/apple-again-promises-fix-to-imessage-woes">their text messages have gone missing</a>. It’s not clear if Apple's latest updates do anything for people in that situation.</p><p><em>Image via Apple</em></p>Today Apple announced a new way to text and call your friends who don't have Apple devices.http://readwrite.com/2014/06/02/os-x-yosemite-handoff-text-messages-sms-phone-calls
http://readwrite.com/2014/06/02/os-x-yosemite-handoff-text-messages-sms-phone-callsMobileMon, 02 Jun 2014 10:59:00 -0700Selena LarsonApple (Again) Promises To Fix iOS iMessage Bug<!-- tml-version="2" --><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b27a48d0016d19" tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a5.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMjk0NTkxNDI3ODY1ODgx.jpg" /></figure></div><p>The failure of Apple's iMessage service is a major black eye for the behemoth maker of iPhones. Apple's messaging service has been experiencing bugs where messages fail to send (or take a long time to send) since the release of iOS 7 last year. Recently, many users that have switched from Apple's iPhone to Android smartphones <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/05/14/imessage-android-bug-text-messages#awesm=~oF01KxSuIE1M0b">have reported that their texts are still stuck</a> in Apple's cloud and not being delivered to the intended recipient. And the problem isn't new. iMessage has been trapping user text messages since iOS 5 was released in 2011.</p><p>The problem occurs after a user switches to another smartphone operating system but their phone number is still attached to an iMessage account on Apple's cloud. Even though the user has a new smartphone, iMessage continues to recognize the users phone number as being tied to iMessage and then fails to deliver texts. Apple suggests that users disconnect their phone numbers from iMessage before buying a new smartphone. The iMessage bug does not affect texts between iPhone users.</p><blockquote tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><p><strong>See also:&nbsp;<a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/05/14/imessage-android-bug-text-messages#awesm=~oF01KxSuIE1M0b">Apple's Revenge: iMessage Might Eat Your Texts If You Switch To Android</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>Apple is facing a <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/may/19/apple-imessage-failed-iphone-samsung">class-action suit in California</a> over the various iMessage failures.&nbsp;</p><p>Apple has repeatedly attempted to fix the various problems plaguing iMessage, but new issues keep on cropping up. In October, 2013, <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/10/02/apple-promises-fix-to-ios-7-imessage-bug#awesm=~oEZYiAfXiIzDOZ">Apple issued an update to iOS 7 </a>that was intended to fix the problem that it said affected "a fraction of a percent" of iMessage users.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://recode.net/2014/05/22/apples-imessage-issue-goes-from-bad-to-worse-with-server-glitch/">According to Ina Fried from Recode</a>, Apple's iMessage problems were made worse by a server bug that Apple attempted to fix. Apple promises a fix in the future, but does not specify when the fix will be available for users.</p><p>"We recently fixed a server-side iMessage bug which was causing an issue for some users, and we have an additional bug fix in a future software update," Apple told Recode.&nbsp;</p>Apple's iMessage woes continue with server bug.http://readwrite.com/2014/05/22/apple-again-promises-fix-to-imessage-woes
http://readwrite.com/2014/05/22/apple-again-promises-fix-to-imessage-woesMobileThu, 22 May 2014 07:20:00 -0700Dan RowinskiMy Fish Just Sent Me A Text Message<!-- tml-version="2" --><p><a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/12/27/2014-will-see-small-moves-towards-internet-of-things">The Internet of Things</a> makes it easy for us to monitor our homes. Today I’m taking that concept one step further—getting our homes to report back to us.&nbsp;</p><p>In early March, I wrote about <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/03/04/raspberry-pi-quantified-fish-acquarium#awesm=~oCdI9vLc3KPY2N">using Raspberry Pi to quantify my fish tank</a>—in short, I taught the $35 single-board computer to monitor the temperature of my home aquarium no matter where I was in the apartment. Of course, the limitations of this project were clear: I could only keep tabs on the tank while on my home network. What if I want my fish to text me when it needs my assistance?&nbsp;</p><blockquote tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><p><strong>See also:&nbsp;</strong><strong><a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/03/04/raspberry-pi-quantified-fish-acquarium#awesm=~oCdI9vLc3KPY2N">The Quantified Fish: How My Aquarium Uses Raspberry Pi</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>The problem, until now, was that getting the Raspberry Pi to initiate communication was hard. I experimented with a Node.js receiving application, and contemplated buying a server from which to run it (since my Bluehost server space doesn’t support a Node installation).&nbsp;The other way to get the Raspberry Pi to talk to me was to teach it to text my phone. There are also <a href="https://github.com/search?q=python+sms&amp;nwo=CrakeNotSnowman%2FPython_Message&amp;search_target=global&amp;ref=cmdform">many ways to achieve SMS support in Python</a>, Pi’s primary language, but they all either involve money or writing programs that are way over my head.&nbsp;</p><p>However, I wouldn’t be writing this article if I didn’t eventually find a way to do it. The answer turned out to be <a href="https://www.twilio.com/">Twilio</a>, a developer-friendly set of tools for creating SMS, voice, and VoIP applications. Twilio charges pennies for calls and text messages to any phone, but it's free to develop programs that text your own phone. That second part might not sound useful at first, but it’s exactly what I needed to complete my fish tank project.</p><p>I met with <a href="http://www.twilio.com/doers/Matthew-Makai">Matthew Makai</a>, Twilio’s DC-based developer evangelist, and he helped me solve the problem. It only took nine lines of code.&nbsp;</p><p>If you’ve already finished <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/03/04/raspberry-pi-quantified-fish-acquarium">the first tutorial</a>, here’s all you need to do.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Sign Up For Twilio</strong></h2><p>Don’t worry, it’s free. Signing up for Twilio will give you a phone number to assign to the Raspberry Pi and credentials for using the Twilio API.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Your phone number will probably begin with the area code of wherever you sign up.&nbsp;</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b2811ed0018266" tml-render-size="large"><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzAyMTA3ODg4OTQzNzE4.png" /></figure></div><p>These are my credentials. You’ll need both the AccountSID and the AuthToken for this project to work, since we’re making use of the Twilio API to save ourselves a lot of coding.</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b2811f30018266" tml-render-size="large"><figure><img src="http://a5.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzAyMTA5NzY3OTkxOTEw.png" /></figure></div><h2><strong>Raspberry Pi, Meet Twilio</strong></h2><p>Now you have a Twilio account, but the Pi doesn’t know that. We’re going to install Twilio on the Raspberry Pi via the command line using "<a href="http://www.pip-installer.org/en/latest/">pip</a>," the Python package manager. Just like <a href="https://www.npmjs.org/">npm</a> is the package manager for Node.js, pip helps to easily install software packages written in Python.&nbsp;</p><p>First type “pip” into the command line to make sure it's installed. It usually installs with Python 3 or higher. If your Pi returns the message, “-bash: pip: command not found,” that means pip still needs to be installed. <a href="http://pip.readthedocs.org/en/latest/installing.html">The official pip website explains the process for OS X, Windows and Linux</a>.</p><p>Once you confirm that pip is installed on your Raspberry Pi, you can type:&nbsp;</p><pre>sudo pip install twilio</pre><p>Be sure to use “sudo”—I didn’t at first, and after it installed the Raspberry Pi decided I didn’t have permission to actually install programs. After this process, however, Twilio will be fully installed.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Tweak The Python Program</strong></h2><p>Once again, we’re using the code from <a href="https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruits-raspberry-pi-lesson-11-ds18b20-temperature-sensing/software">this Adafruit tutorial</a>. The program already queries the waterproof temperature sensor for data, but it doesn’t text just yet. We’re going to add that functionality in fewer than 10 additional lines.</p><p>Go into the directory where your python program is saved with the “cd” command. Then write:</p><pre>sudo nano YOURPROGRAM.py</pre><p>That should open what you already have it in the nano text editor.&nbsp;</p><p>At the top, just below the place where we’re importing three Python libraries, we need to import Twilio’s API. Obviously, fill in your own accountSID and auth token here:</p><pre>from twilio.rest import TwilioRestClient</pre><pre>client = TwilioRestClient(account='abc', token='123')</pre><p>Next, we need to define a condition for when the program needs to text. For me, this was when the fish tank reaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which would be too hot for my fish:</p><pre>MAX_F_TEMP = 80</pre><p>At first, however, I set the maximum temperature at something ridiculously low, just to be sure it would text me and test the program no matter what it was sensing. I might recommend you do the same.</p><p>Finally, we need to add a few lines to the “While True:” section. Right now, this loop reads:</p><pre>while True:</pre><pre> print(read_temp()) </pre><pre> time.sleep(1)</pre><p>And all it does is print the temperature to your computer screen every second forever.</p><p>We’re going to add some substance to this:</p><pre>while True:</pre><pre>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;c, f = read_temp()</pre><pre>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;if f &gt; MAX_F_TEMP:</pre><pre>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; client.messages.create(to='+198755555555',&nbsp;</pre><pre>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; from_='+1987666666666',&nbsp;</pre><pre>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; body="fish tank overheating!!")</pre><pre>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; time.sleep(500)</pre><pre> time.sleep(1)</pre><p>Now the program reads the temperature, and judges whether the temperature it reads is higher than the maximum acceptable temperature. If it is, it sends a text to your number, from the number you got with your Twilio account. It continues to do this every 500 seconds (about 8 minutes) until you rectify the situation or turn off the Raspberry Pi.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://gist.github.com/laurenorsini/11220726">Here’s the final code</a> saved in a GitHub gist.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Test And Text</strong></h2><p>Save and exit your program with Command + X and wait. If all goes well and you’ve set your temperature very low, you should get a text relatively quickly.&nbsp;</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b2811f90018266"><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzAyMTExMzc4ODAxMjU0.png" /></figure></div><p>Ignore that first text you see above—I was messing with Twilio SMS. But the second one is literally a text from my fish tank!&nbsp;</p><p>I am currently using this sensor to monitor my fish tank, but there are numerous applications for a project like this—whether you have a swimming pool, a pond, or a home brewery where the beer needs to be at a specific temperature. You can also set up a variable to keep the temperature from going below a certain degree, or one on either end of a spectrum.</p><p>Next up, I’ll be working with Makai to create a custom connected home tutorial for ReadWrite readers. Tell us what you would like to build, and we'll show you how it's done.</p><p><em>Photos and screenshots by Lauren Orsini; first screenshot via Twilio blog</em></p>Instead of just monitoring your connected home, teach it to talk back.http://readwrite.com/2014/04/23/raspberry-pi-connected-home-fish-text-message-twilio
http://readwrite.com/2014/04/23/raspberry-pi-connected-home-fish-text-message-twilioHackWed, 23 Apr 2014 08:14:00 -0700Lauren Orsini